In the construction industry, metal buildings consist of a structural steel framing system, which supports a metal roofing system and wall panels. Pre-engineered steel buildings are fabricated off-site, then shipped from the manufacturer to the construction site, where the building is erected by construction personnel. Most steel building erectors are primarily responsible for the actual erection process and not any of the finish work, such as electrical or plumbing. They do install the insulation in the exterior walls and the roof.
Currently, once the steel structure is in place, the panels and insulation are put up separately by hand by 4-5 installers using a man lift (a motorized scaffold characterized by a bucket or platform).
At the bottom of the structure along the foundation is the base channel (a “C” section secured at the foundation to support wall panels as an alternate to base angle). At the top of the wall is the eave strut (a structural piece spanning columns at the edge of a roof). The horizontal steel supports are girts.
To install the insulation and metal wall panels, the layout begins on the ground level and proceeds floor by floor upward until reaching the roof. Double stick tape is applied to the eave strut and the base channel. The insulation is generally 6′ wide and cut to fit the length of the panels. The vinyl side of the insulation goes toward the inside of the building, so the fiberglass side faces outward. It is hung vertically by sticking it to the tape.
The metal wall panels are 3′ wide and the length depends on the height of the building. A horizontal layout is marked every 3′ on the base channel. The panels are pre-drilled for layout on the girt members. A rope hooked to a man lift is clamped onto the top side of the panel and it is raised by one corner to a vertical stance. Once vertical, the panel is installed on the horizontal layout and fastened down with screws on all base, eave and girt lines. This process is repeated with the next panel lapping the first to finish covering the insulation. The lap is stitched together with stitch screws every 2 feet.
Wind is the worst enemy of the steel erector. When installing the wall & roof panels, they can only safely erect when the winds are 10 miles an hour or less. The wind can grab the insulation and the metal panels and whip them around causing damage to the materials as well as injuries to the installers and take considerably more time.